Sound Off for Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013

On firefighters: I disagree with Wednesday’s Sound Off regarding firefighters sleeping at the station. They are the bravest people in our city and sleep restlessly, disturbed by fire calls after midnight. They go into burning buildings in 10-degree icy weather to save your children and pets. Bravo to firefighters.

-- The percentage of fire calls that are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. are about even. So firefighters really aren’t sleeping that much on the job, and imagine the time it would take to get to your house if they had to be called in from home. It’s a lot safer for you to have them sleeping in the station.

On sports: Playing a World Series game at the same time as “Monday Night Football” is a disservice to baseball. How could you possibly compete with football on a national stage? At least it isn’t golf.

On tavern gambling: When are we going to do something about illegal gambling machines in taverns. I have family members who are hooked on them and losing lots of money. Since when does gambling in taverns become legal? Please do something about this.

On Obamacare: So now Democrats are trying to blame the insurance companies for the problems. They’re saying insurers didn’t have to cancel all those policies; they could have just changed them. Either way, you don’t get to keep the insurance you had that you liked, as the president said. What he really meant is if he likes your policy, then you can keep it.

-- Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer writes in his new book that conservatives think liberals are dumb but liberals think conservatives are evil. Well just look at the health care argument. Liberals say conservatives just don’t want people to have health care. If they really believe that, then maybe conservatives have a point about liberals being dumb.

-- The president said if you like your insurance, you can keep it. He said we’re going to lower premiums for an average family by up to $2,500. He said an anti-Islamic video caused our ambassador and others to be killed in Benghazi. How many times does your president have to look you in the face and lie before you get tired of it?

-- The administration says it is the insurance company’s fault you are losing your coverage. Does it make sense that the insurance company wants to get rid of customers?

On school bonus pay: If it is to be fair, it should go only to teachers. Administrators had nothing to do with test scores; it was the teachers’ hard work. And if it is the result of the 2012-2013 school year, is Superintendent Schulte going to pay the teachers who retired at the end of the year, too?

On spying: The NSA spies on everybody, it seems. But when our allies, Germany in this case, get all puffed about it, remember that whenever a toe is stubbed in Europe, we’ve stepped in and helped make things right. We should be spying to keep ourselves safe.

On negativity:Wednesday’s Sound Off column is negative on almost everything. Can’t we ever print something that’s positive in that column? It sure would be nice to have a positive attitude coming from your newspaper.

On Benghazi: It’s being reported that the State Department is blocking access to witnesses who survived the attack. What’s amazing is that it took the media over a year to even find interest in interviewing these people. This is the first time in history that we ever left Americans behind to die without attempting to help them, and the media is not interested.

On elected officials: It would be refreshing for Janesville citizens to elect state politicians and city council members who are not former school board members. Examples of old ways and tired stories are Councilmen Severson’s blaming past councils for not spending enough on roads and Sen. Cullen’s whining about how politics in Madison are too difficult.

On school nicknames: The Gazette editorial writers must pay attention to other media. The only people I hear speaking ill about Indians are other tribes. Have Gazette staffers ever heard the radio ads opposing a Kenosha casino?

On politics: Regarding Page 6A Oct. 26, rhetoric and passion that the Left has mounted against the Right is also unprecedented. The name-calling should be an embarrassment to Democratic leadership. We talk about bullying on the playground, yet adult leadership is no better.

On fairgrounds: Evansville is pursuing them. Why not consider the JATCO ground? It is paved, fenced in and no traffic problems as the roads were built for easy access to General Motors. It is also more in the middle of the county. The fairgrounds are one of the busiest places in town with activities almost every day. That brings people and revenue to Janesville.